Rough topographies and heterogeneous climates, the stage for evolution in the biological bridge of the Americas.
I was born and raised surrounded by the volcanic mountain chains that cradle San José, the capital of Costa Rica. This fact may explain my fascination with these massive geological structures, which draw silhouettes in the horizon and are scattered across the country. When I understood that beyond their scenic beauty, these formations also are home to a tremendous biodiversity, my love for mountains became one of my research motivations.
Located on the isthmus that unites the Americas, Costa Rica and Panama host particularly rich biotas in less than 150.000 km2 of mountains and valleys. Remarkably, the configuration of these biological communities is relatively recent as it occurred after the uplift of the Isthmus of Panama (<25 Mya). This land bridge that connects North America and South America facilitated the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI), one of the most important biogeographic events shaping the biota of the Western Hemisphere. As a result, species diversity in Costa Rica and Panama is a mixture of North and South American clades, and a surprisingly high proportion of endemics.
The rough topography and heterogeneous climates of the region could have provided the ideal conditions for processes of speciation in situ. The mosaic of peaks and valleys provides potential physical and environmental barriers that may have restricted further dispersal across the Isthmus once it was colonized. The altitudinal and latitudinal gradients may impose contrasting selective pressures that may have promoted adaptation to local environments. Vicariance and adaptation may have potentially promoted isolation and limited gene flow.
Evolution between hills and valleys in Isthmian Central America
I was born and raised surrounded by the volcanic mountain chains that cradle San José, the capital of Costa Rica. This fact may explain my fascination with these massive geological structures, which draw silhouettes in the horizon and are scattered across the country. When I understood that beyond their scenic beauty, these formations also are home to a tremendous biodiversity, my love for mountains became one of my research motivations.
Located on the isthmus that unites the Americas, Costa Rica and Panama host particularly rich biotas in less than 150.000 km2 of mountains and valleys. Remarkably, the configuration of these biological communities is relatively recent as it occurred after the uplift of the Isthmus of Panama (<25 Mya). This land bridge that connects North America and South America facilitated the Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI), one of the most important biogeographic events shaping the biota of the Western Hemisphere. As a result, species diversity in Costa Rica and Panama is a mixture of North and South American clades, and a surprisingly high proportion of endemics.
The rough topography and heterogeneous climates of the region could have provided the ideal conditions for processes of speciation in situ. The mosaic of peaks and valleys provides potential physical and environmental barriers that may have restricted further dispersal across the Isthmus once it was colonized. The altitudinal and latitudinal gradients may impose contrasting selective pressures that may have promoted adaptation to local environments. Vicariance and adaptation may have potentially promoted isolation and limited gene flow.
Evolution between hills and valleys in Isthmian Central America